Changing the stereotype: Casey Kiley

Changing the stereotype: Casey Kiley

I want to change the stereotype of “Mental Wellness.” I want people to look forward to a good individual therapy session, as opposed to feeling strain and angst because they are coming to therapy to “work on their issues.” To put things in a different perspective, this is similar to the difference between taking a yoga or workout class once a week to maintain a healthy lifestyle versus going to the hospital because your health spiraled downward to the point of needing immediate attention.

Get it?

In simple terms, Don’t treat your mental health therapy session like a hospital visit. Treat it like your favorite workout class. Do you ever notice that during a really good workout, your muscles are getting pushed to their limits and there is a bit of fatigue. In the moment, it sucks a little bit, but afterward you feel good about yourself, a little more empowered, and energetic. Other days, your workouts are a little less strenuous and you barely notice the exercise; Like a good paddleboard session on the water or hike through the sand dunes.

This is exactly how I want you to view mental health!

Sometimes, you come to your session to enjoy some mental release, and other times, you have to work on things a bit to see progress in the long run. For many of us, it’s easy to view the logic of preventive care when we are talking about physical health, but it takes a bit of coaxing and convincing to apply the same concept to your mental health.

Taking care of your mental health can be a great experience for yourself, and it can be a positive outlet throughout your week. Essentially, it’s uninterrupted time to focus on you! Some weeks, you might have some frustrating issues to work on that cause a little bit of strain, but other times, you have the opportunity to talk about the future and what you want to get out of this life. We all have goals that we wish we would put more time into, and one of the most beneficial and time effective tactics for yourself is to pencil in a set, uninterrupted time to focus on your growth!

Enjoy the process and embrace the growth!

Taking this uninterrupted, focused time provides preventative care for future chaos. Mental Wellness should be challenging, but it should also be positive and productive. Your Mental Wellness is worth investing your time into; like your physical health. Changing the stereotype, starts with changing your perspective and viewing Mental Wellness in a different light.